1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a support structure comprising a pair of support units each including a housing and a ball stud having a ball portion placed in the housing and a shank portion formed integrally with the ball portion, the upper support unit having its ball stud shank portion extending downward from the housing fixed to an upper structure such as a bridge girder, the lower support unit having its ball stud shank portion extending upward from the housing fixedly embedded in a lower structure such as a bridge base in the position facing the upper support unit, the upper and lower support units connected to each other at their ball stud portions, and a retaining member fixed on a base plate fixed on the lower structure and fitted around the shank portion of the coupled upper and lower support units.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Monorail railways which are generally narrower in girder width as compared with overhead roads and suspension railways are required to have a capacity to bear lifting forces caused by vertical and horizontal loads and tipping moments acting on the girders due to vehicle centrifugal forces and wind loads. Additionally, monorail railways must be so constructed that adjustment of the vertical and horizontal position and the inclination of the griders upon their assembly can be readily made since the girders themselves are used as railways.
Like normal overhead roads, monorail railways are also required to accommodate the expansion and contraction of the girders. For this purpose, it has been proposed to construct specified bridge bases in fixed support fashion so as to provide an inclination and deflection accommodating function and other bridge bases in movable support fashion so as to allow the girders to move axially of the bridge.
In order to satisfy these requirements, various attempts have been made. For example, curved-surface or roller-shaped support members have been interposed between the bridge girder and the bridge base connected to each other by means of anchor bolts. However, such an arrangement is complex in structure, expensive to produce, and difficult to assemble.